"Muradin? What is he doing here? Invite him in—never mind, I'll go find him."
Kael'thas left the city and met Muradin Bronzebeard.
He was currently touring Sandar Hill under the guidance of Kurdran Wildhammer, and had reached the main attraction: Wildhammer Town, not far from Sunveil City.
The town was much easier to build than a city, and many Wildhammer Dwarves had already moved in.
The proportion of pregnant women was astonishingly high, and the air was filled with a maternal aura.
"Kael'thas, what's going on? In just three months, there are over a hundred more pregnant women! Some are over a hundred years old with their first child, and their youngest son is younger than their eldest grandson!" Kurdran pulled Kael'thas aside and whispered his questions.
"How about you, which pregnancy is this?"
"Third—don't change the subject, what exactly is happening?"
"Well—" Kael'thas explained the whole story.
Kurdran was shocked: "Kael'thas, your method is too—effective!"
Wildhammer Dwarves also have long lifespans, generally living for three hundred years, but their birth rate is also quite low, making racial reproduction a serious issue.
The reason he brazenly asked for a piece of land and moved some of his people there was for better reproduction.
However, the rich natural energy here could only improve the quality of newborns, not increase their numbers.
He never expected Kael'thas to have thought of this long ago, and to have come up with such a devious plan!
It was a bit devious, but it really worked.
It was just that the effect was a bit slow.
It had been three months, and less than 10% of the women were pregnant—
"Prince, why have you come without prior notice? I didn't even have time to welcome you." Kael'thas looked at Muradin Bronzebeard.
The Mountain King sighed: "The external war with the Horde is over, but the internal war at the negotiating table has just begun. My elder brother sent me to Lordaeron as an ambassador, fully responsible for diplomatic affairs. I happened to have something to discuss with you, so I came over on the way."
Like Brann, he enjoyed exploration, otherwise he wouldn't have agreed to form the Explorer's League.
Diplomacy and negotiations were things he truly disliked and wasn't good at.
The problem was that only their three brothers were qualified to handle such an important matter.
King Magni, as the king, certainly couldn't be an ambassador. Brann was too unreliable, and like Dalaran and Silvermoon City, he had long been placed on Lordaeron's unwelcome list. So, he had to bite the bullet and go.
"How are the negotiations progressing?" Kael'thas didn't know; he hadn't paid attention.
"They've just begun."
"The construction of the Watch Tower has been finalized, but the funding proportions and troop numbers from each nation are still being debated."
"The purification of Grim Batol is simple. Red Dragon fire has already purified it once, and Archbishop Faol has agreed to send priests and paladins to help, and they will arrive in a few days."
"Regarding Stormwind City's reconstruction aid, all nations are very active due to Marshal Lothar."
Muradin had a headache: "The most troublesome issues now are the ownership of Alterac Kingdom and how to deal with the Orcs."
Although Alterac Kingdom was the second smallest among the Seven Human Kingdoms, it was rich in mineral resources, and Lordaeron, Gilneas, Kul Tiras, and Stromgarde all wanted a piece of the pie.
In the past, with Lordaeron as the sole dominant power, Alterac Kingdom would have undoubtedly been annexed by Lordaeron.
However, due to Kael'thas, Terenas's prestige had greatly diminished, and Lordaeron's influence had been largely taken by Quel'Thalas, making it impossible to hold an absolute advantage.
King Genn, Admiral Daelin, King Solas, and others had secretly contacted each other, seemingly intending to unite against Lordaeron and carve up Alterac Kingdom, resulting in a stalemate.
Gilneas and Kul Tiras even showed a tendency to withdraw from the Alliance if their goals were not met.
To maintain the Alliance, increase his influence, secure his position as leader of the Alliance, and to demonstrate his benevolence to win over the Church and the Knights of the Silver Hand, Terenas proposed building internment camps to house surrendered and captured Orcs.
He also demanded that all nations contribute money and personnel.
This was naturally opposed by King Genn, Admiral Daelin, and King Solas.
Their view was consistent: all nations had just gone through a major war and were financially strapped; they should now focus on restoring production, not building internment camps.
As for the Orcs? Of course, they should be killed, all of them!
Because they owed Terenas a favor, Marshal Lothar and King Varian could only support him.
What surprised him was that the Kirin Tor Council also supported it!
Of course, the council members had no sympathy for the Orcs, nor did they care about Terenas. Their reason for support was simple: research.
In their eyes, Orcs were no different from lab rats; they were all subjects that could be sliced and studied on an experimental table.
However, this matter had nothing to do with Kael'thas.
He was busy studying hard and was absent!
Even if he hadn't been absent, it wouldn't have changed anything.
The minority obeys the majority; he couldn't persuade those mad scientists—the Kirin Tor council members were all mad scientists, all abnormal. Antonidas, that kind-faced, white-bearded old man, was the same; only he was an exception.
To be precise, all mages in the Warcraft world were abnormal; only he, the transmigrator, was an exception.
The previous Kael'thas was also abnormal.
"It's basically all about the Human Kingdoms, and has nothing to do with us Dwarves. If it weren't to maintain relations with the Human Kingdoms and to support Marshal Lothar, I wouldn't even want to attend the meeting," Muradin complained.
Kael'thas smiled broadly.
It was much better to be a Prince like him, with power and leisure.
The ownership of Alterac Kingdom originally had nothing to do with the High Elves; let the Humans sort it out themselves, he wouldn't interfere.
Humans also wouldn't allow High Elves to interfere.
Even though the Human Kingdoms were fighting among themselves now, if the High Elves tried to get a piece of the pie, they would surely unite against them.
As for building internment camps, Kael'thas had already stated his position at the Royal Council meeting, and he had the support of the King and the council members:
Whatever Terenas vigorously pushed for, the High Elves would oppose!
To ask the High Elves to contribute money and personnel was absolutely impossible!
To ask Quel'Thalas to withdraw from the Alliance was also absolutely impossible!
If anyone were to withdraw, it would be Lordaeron.
The Alliance belongs to the Alliance nations, not Lordaeron, and certainly not Terenas!
"What did you need me for? Let me think—you're not rushing me to research titanstrike, are you?" Kael'thas asked.
Muradin nodded: "Also the earth guardian's scale, shattered scale, truthguard, and oathbinder. My elder brother is very interested in Titan craftsmanship and ancient Vrykul craftsmanship."
Kael'thas nodded in understanding.
King Magni was essentially a blacksmith, and artifacts held endless charm for him.
If he hadn't been tied up with state affairs and the need to reclaim lost territories, he would probably have come to him much earlier, instead of waiting until now.
"I can't talk much longer; I squeezed in this visit to you, and I have another meeting to attend soon."
Muradin rushed off, returning to Lordaeron.
Kael'thas, on the other hand, called Vereesa, Lana'thel, and Liadrin, and went to Ironforge, where he met King Magni and High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque.
King Magni and High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque were not in the military district, but next to the Great Forge in the center of the city.
Before them were all sorts of instruments and materials, including swords, shields, and firearms that closely resembled the appearance of titanstrike.
But only in appearance.
The main material was not titanium or titansteel, but rather mithril and adamantite.
The core energy source used to condense bullets was not the lightning-fire energy spheres formed by the Titan Guardians condensing storm and arcane energy, but rather arcane crystals, which are very familiar to mages.
"Quick, try it! This time it's sure to work!" The High Tinker handed a replica gun to Magni.
"You've said that seven times—no, eight times!" Magni reluctantly took it.
"Don't worry, it's been improved again this time! The runes were personally etched by Archmage Millhouse Manastorm, so it definitely won't backfire!" The High Tinker scurried twenty meters away and set up a meter-and-a-half-tall adamantite shield.
"It's precisely because of him that I'm not reassured!"
"Also, if you want me to be reassured, why are you running so far away?"
Complaining aside, Magni still activated his Stoneform, picked up a shield modeled after truthguard with one hand, and aimed at a distant target with the other before firing.
Only he could do such a thing.
The Gnomes' small bodies couldn't handle such abuse.
With a bang, arcane energy erupted within the gun body, and the embedded arcane crystal exploded!
The mithril barrel shattered into countless fragments, scattering in all directions.
Kael'thas quickly raised a mana shield and saw more than a dozen fragments embedded in Magni's skin.
Magni didn't care, pulling out the fragments and beginning to investigate what went wrong this time, until he heard footsteps.
"Kael'thas, you're finally here!"
The High Tinker wiped sweat from his brow, took the titanstrike, and began to furiously research it, almost tearing the gun apart—he really wanted to, but this artifact was a seamless, extremely sturdy whole, and he couldn't do it.
Magni, meanwhile, asked Lana'thel for the earth guardian's scale and shattered scale.
The titanstrike's technological content was too high; such a delicate item wasn't suitable for him. He preferred big, crude treasures like swords and shields, which better fit the Dwarves' aesthetic.
"Your Majesty, High Tinker, what were you thinking? Of all the people you could ask for help, why Millhouse? Aren't you afraid he'll blow up both of you and Ironforge along with it?" Kael'thas was still shaken.
The explosion just now was quite terrifying, much stronger than a stick grenade. Are you really making firearms, or bombs?
It wasn't that he looked down on Millhouse; no one in all of Dalaran thought highly of him. That guy was the Gnome version of Brann Bronzebeard, known in the community as "Dumbass Manastorm."
In terms of magical attainment alone, Millhouse was definitely a master among Archmages, with a glorious history of surviving a failed teleportation and getting lost in the Twisting Nether—in this aspect, he was even stronger than Khadgar.
But this guy was a goofball!
Like Brann, nothing Millhouse did was ever reliable!
He caused countless troubles, his notoriety spreading far and wide. He earned the title of "Unwelcome Person" in Dalaran even earlier than Brann, and was personally ordered by Antonidas to be expelled and never allowed back into the city.
His reputation in Dalaran was even worse than Khadgar's and Rhonin's!
None of that mattered.
The most terrifying thing was that Gnomes were generally known for being steady and reliable. Although each had an active personality and unconventional thinking, they were always dependable in their work, and their products were stable and effective.
Gnome-made meant quality.
Millhouse, however, was an extremely rare exception.
Whether he was casting spells, enchanting, or crafting magical items, he always adhered to one principle:
Useful, usable, but not good, and unstable!
Although mages are a very exploratory and research-oriented group, they are actually calmer and more cautious than other professions, casting each spell with extreme care.
They would never carelessly use spells they hadn't fully mastered or whose consequences were uncertain.
After all, every mage is a cannon, and every spell is dangerous. They are either connected to elements or related to space-time, and a failed spell can lead to big problems!
Millhouse was different.
This guy's philosophy was: Only do something if it's foolproof? That's too boring!
Brann just liked to press buttons randomly; he was quite reliable otherwise.
Millhouse? This guy was a walking unstable bomb. Any spell he cast, any action he took, could potentially lead to very serious consequences:
Explosions, space-time distortions, or even summoning unknown terrifying creatures, such as Legendary Daemons.
To ask him for help in making firearms, you two must be incredibly brave!
"Hey, hey, who are you, what are you saying? Talking bad about my man behind his back, you better apologize—mmph—Millhouse, why are you covering my mouth—mmph."
A red-haired Gnome woman, wearing an engineering suit, goggles, and holding a Gnome army knife, scurried over on her short legs, flailing her arms, glaring angrily, ready to cause trouble for Kael'thas.
However, before she could finish speaking, she was hugged from behind by another male Gnome who had flashed over, his hand covering her mouth, arcane light shimmering around him—he had used magic!
"Apologies, Your Highness, she's drunk. Please don't mind her!"
The male Gnome gave Kael'thas a fawning smile, then wiped cold sweat from his brow and whispered into the female Gnome's ear: "Are you crazy? He's Kael'thas Sunstrider, the High Elf Prince, a Kirin Tor Council member, the Legendary Mage who defeated Deathwing! If you anger him, you'll be beaten to death!"
"How was I supposed to know? I've never seen him, and all High Elves look the same. At most, I can tell men from women!"
The female Gnome immediately stopped struggling, though her eyes remained defiant, and she grumbled: "Is Deathwing very powerful? Once my world amplifier is successfully developed, and I become as big as the Dun Morogh mountains, I'll crush him with one finger!"
The male Gnome nodded: "Exactly! Oh, and we can improve the shrinking ray emitter, increase its power, and shrink Deathwing to the size of a palm to play with him as a toy!"
The female Gnome peeked at Kael'thas and said: "What if we shrink ourselves to the size of ants and crawl into his stomach? Kick his heart, raid his lungs, and make him beg for mercy!"
The male Gnome lowered his voice: "Shh! Keep it down, don't let him hear! Honestly, Kael'thas is a good guy. He drove away the Horde, saved Gnomeregan, saved us Gnomes. Let's just drop it!"
The female Gnome sighed: "Alright, then let's drop it! We still need to research the titanstrike. What if he gets angry and doesn't let us research it?"
The male Gnome said: "You've already offended him!"
The female Gnome immediately panicked: "Then what do we do? The titanstrike is Mimiron's masterpiece! I absolutely must research it, or I'll die of frustration!"
The male Gnome said: "It's okay, he's a Prince, good-tempered and good-natured, he won't hold it against us. At worst, we apologize!"
The female Gnome's eyes lit up: "Right, apologize!"
The two stood side by side, bowing 180° to Kael'thas: "Prince Kael'thas, please forgive our recklessness!"
"..." Kael'thas was speechless.
The male Gnome was Millhouse Manastorm, and the female Gnome was Millificent Manastorm, husband and wife.
Like calls to like; these two were both goofballs.
Goofballs they might be, but these two were not bad at heart, and both had real talent.
Millhouse, needless to say, if not for his truly erratic personality and unreliable way of doing things, would have been qualified to contend for a council seat based on his seniority and magical attainments alone.
Millificent, on the other hand, was a highly skilled engineering genius, intelligent, extremely intelligent—the kind who, if she didn't study hard, would only end up as a professor at Tsinghua or Peking University.
Her research capabilities ranked firmly in the top three in Gnomeregan.
If not for her cunning and frequent troublemaking, and her fondness for researching dangerous devices like bombs, she too could have been awarded the title of "High Tinker."
"Do you think we wanted to? Who's to blame that you weren't here, and we couldn't find anyone to help!" The High Tinker complained in a low voice.
No matter how unreliable Millhouse was, he was still a veteran Archmage.
Ironforge didn't produce mages, and among Gnomeregan, Millhouse had the deepest magical attainments. Besides, other Archmages were also goofballs, not much better in temperament.
Several Kirin Tor Council members in Dalaran were more excellent, but they were all powerful figures in authority, very busy, and couldn't be persuaded!
"And they both heard about this somehow and offered to help. I couldn't refuse, and I didn't want to refuse—I feel safer with them by my side!"
"If I'm not in Gnomeregan, and they go to Gnomeregan, I worry that the entire mountain might be blown up by them one day!"
"They are Gnomes, I can't just expel them, can I? And their abilities are too strong; they can enter the city anytime. City gates, walls, and guards can't stop them!" The High Tinker said helplessly.
"I understand, I understand."
Kael'thas glanced at Brann next to him, then recalled the relieved expressions of the six council members, including himself, after sending Khadgar to Karazhan that year, and immediately understood the High Tinker's feelings.
Who doesn't have a mischievous child at home?
"Oh, where's Brann?" Kael'thas looked around, not seeing the goofy dwarf.
"Him? He took the newly formed Explorer's League to Uldaman, saying he wanted to explore the origins of the Dwarves and ancient secrets, and incidentally search for titanium and titansteel."
Magni was studying his sword and shield with his big head bowed, not even looking up.
"Uldaman? It's over, something's going to happen!"
Kael'thas had a sense of déjà vu, like a "divine beast unleashed."
Brann had been let out of Ironforge; Uldaman, and even the entire world, was about to be in danger—
But he wasn't worried about Brann.
Wherever that guy went, danger followed, but he himself never got into trouble, his superpower comparable to Conan's.
"Adamantite and mithril still aren't enough; they can't withstand the explosion of arcane crystals!"
"That's a given, what metal can withstand it? titansteel could, but we don't have any!"
"The main problem is still with the enchantment. Millhouse, is the logic gate for this magic circuit wrong? And here, it should be a one-way channel, not two-way!"
"Well—I was a bit sleepy at the time, didn't pay attention—"
"Oh, so the magic activation device of titanstrike is designed this way. It's so ingenious! No wonder the previous attempts failed. Pure guesswork really doesn't work; we still need to study the real thing."
"Gelbin, what do you think about adding a button and an activation device here? If the distance is too close to fire, you could press the button to activate the arcane crystal, turning this gun into a bomb!"
"Absolutely not! Millificent, we are developing firearms, not bombs, not bombs! Delete the word 'bomb' from your brain! Otherwise, I'll kick you out of the project team—no, I'll format your brain!"
"Alright, alright. But seriously, why only use arcane crystals and not fire elements or other elemental cores? Why only fire bullets and not shrinking rays, freezing rays, or scorching rays? They're faster!"
"You make a good point—wait a minute, you're sidetracking me again! We're developing guns, not ray emitters!"
"Don't be so stubborn, Gelbin. Guns and ray emitters are the same thing; the size of what they shoot out is just different."
"That's right! So, guns and cannons are also the same thing. Should we build a big one, capable of taking down a building with one shell?"
"Gelbin, you're so crazy—I love it!"
"Kael'thas, let me study your flame strike. I want to see how the dragons forge—no, smelt artifacts."
"Okay, Magni, what are you doing? Research it, but don't smash it! You're still smashing it! If you smash it again, I'll hit you with a Pyroblast!"
"Kael'thas, does this look right to you? Why are you spacing out? What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, I was thinking Millificent is right. Why don't we change it and make bombs? Condense the energy of a thousand—no, ten thousand arcane crystals together, using arcanite as a container. If it's big enough, one bomb could blow a city sky-high!"
"...You High Elves seem proper, but I didn't expect you to be even crazier than us Gnomes/Dwarves!"
"Vereesa, don't touch that—BOOM!"
"It's over, you High Elves also have your own Millhouse and Brann now!"
For a full month, Kael'thas stayed in Ironforge, researching engineering and blacksmithing with this group of goofballs. The academic atmosphere was intense, and colleague relationships were harmonious.
After all, only ten repair robots and twenty golems were destroyed, and thirty curious Gnomes and Dwarves were injured; Ironforge itself wasn't blown up.
Time flew, and progress was rapid.
The High Tinker, Millificent's engineering, Millhouse's magic, and Magni's blacksmithing skills all improved. Vereesa and others also gained knowledge.
As for Kael'thas, having an engineering background in his previous life, he was interested in both engineering and blacksmithing and benefited greatly.
The titanstrike truly lived up to its name as the pinnacle of Titan Guardian technology and magic. Even after so much research, there were still many parts they couldn't understand or figure out, but this didn't prevent them from replicating an energy gun that worked and didn't backfire.
This thing's power wasn't much stronger than a real bullet gun; the advantage was that it didn't require reloading.
It could also adjust the output power to change the bullet size and power.
Even at maximum power output, a standard-sized arcane crystal was enough for a hundred shots.
Replacing crystals was very convenient.
Crystals that ran out of energy weren't Abandoned; they could be recharged and reused.
Although the main body had to be made of metals more expensive than gold, like mithril and adamantite, to withstand sufficient power, making them costly—each one costing several thousand gold coins, comparable to epic-grade equipment—it was worth it!
Magni planned to assemble a thousand-man musket corps.
The Bronzebeard Dwarves, who mined all year round, had plenty of ore and gold coins. The Kingdom of Khaz Modan was far richer than Lordaeron; they could afford it!
In addition, they also developed various ray emitters, and even city-destroying arcane bombs, strongly recommended by Kael'thas and Millificent.
Regarding Ashbringer, Magni finally settled on the forging plan.
Just then, a dwarf from the Explorer's League rushed in, breathless: "Bad news, Prince Brann is in trouble!"
"Something happened? What happened? Don't panic, speak slowly."
King Magni was as steady as a mountain, unperturbed by anything.
He knew his younger brother too well.
Wherever Brann went, trouble followed; either he broke things or he broke people.
Apologies were made, compensation was paid; after all, the Bronzebeard family had plenty of money.
Hmm, this time it was Uldaman. It had been abandoned for over a thousand years, no one was there, so no need to pay for damages—wait, Uldaman!
He suddenly realized something was wrong: "Who did you say something happened to? Brann?"
This time, it wasn't Gnomes, Humans, or High Elves who were in trouble, but Brann!
"What happened to him?" King Magni asked anxiously.
"Prince Brann is trapped in Uldaman and can't get out!" the Explorer's League member shouted.
"Trapped? Oh, that's fine then. As long as he's not dead." King Magni breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as he wasn't dead, he could be rescued.
He had a certain amount of confidence in his younger brother's ability to survive.
Moreover, this time he had brought many people, all members of the Explorer's League, each with unique skills and formidable combat power.
Exploration, by its nature, was full of uncertainty and danger; one couldn't do this line of work without some skill.
The explorers were all talented individuals.
There were mages who had been expelled from Dalaran for causing widespread destruction with dangerous spells.
There were rogues who couldn't make a living in the underworld, having offended several major organizations and bosses.
There were defensive warriors keen on slaying, and priests who studied shadow magic...
There was no way a decent person, living a good life and belonging to a reputable, established organization, would run off to join the Explorer's League, which had been founded less than two months ago!
"Hona, what's the specific situation?" he asked.
This explorer, named Hona Stonefall, was both a prospector and a rogue. She had trained in Stormwind City's intelligence agency, "SI:7," and later joined the ancient "Assassin's League."
Clever, cunning, calm, steady, and quite strong, she was a subordinate Brann relied heavily on.
It was just that for some unknown reason she had been expelled; it was said she had offended Jorach Ravenholdt.
That Grand Duke, originally from the Kingdom of Alterac, had only recently been confirmed as an Assassin Master and the leader of the Assassin's League.
At this moment, Hona also calmed down, taking several deep breaths to compose herself, and said:
"It's Troggs and Dark Iron Dwarves! We encountered Troggs and Dark Iron Dwarves in Uldaman! They've sealed off the entrance and occupied the passages!"
"Prince Brann and the others are trapped deep inside Uldaman and can't get out!"
"Among everyone, only I am a rogue, and I was ordered to guard the entrance at the time, so I wasn't discovered by them and managed to escape to report!"
She worried: "Your Majesty, please send people to rescue the Prince quickly. They are trapped in a small space, and food is running low. If a few more days pass, even if they aren't killed by the Troggs or Dark Iron Dwarves, they will starve and die of thirst!"
Millhouse's ears twitched, and he asked: "Troggs? What are those?"
They sounded like some kind of intelligent humanoid creature, but he had never heard of them.
King Magni, however, was more concerned about another creature: "Dark Iron Dwarves? How many of them are there?"
Hona Stonefall thought for a moment and answered definitively: "A hundred! At least that's the number I saw when I escaped. How many are inside now, I don't know."
Upon hearing this, King Magni felt a bit more relaxed: "Only a hundred? It seems they weren't specifically targeting you. This is a coincidence, they just happened to run into each other, otherwise there wouldn't be so few of them."
Brann was of noble status, and the other explorers were also quite strong, all people of identity and standing, many of whom were on the Dark Iron bounty list.
His bounty was 10 million gold coins, Muradin's 5 million, Brann's 3 million, and his beloved daughter Moira's 1 million.
The Bronzebeard Dwarves of the Explorer's League were also valued between 10,000 and 100,000, each worth a considerable sum.
If the Dark Iron Dwarves were coming for them, they would surely send a large force to ensure success.
He mused: "Are the Dark Iron Dwarves also exploring Uldaman? Are they interested in the origin of dwarves, or in the Titan artifacts inside?"
High Tinker Mekkatorque stroked his chin and speculated: "It should be the former. Dwarves and us Gnomes both originated in Uldaman. In fact, I've always wanted to go to Uldaman to see and study our origins. The Dark Iron Dwarves are the same."
Millhouse, however, snorted and said: "It must be the latter! Uldaman was built by the Titan Guardians. The artifacts they left behind must be very powerful. The Dark Iron Dwarves want to use those artifacts against you Bronzebeard Dwarves!"
"Titan artifacts? Artifacts created by the Titan Guardians? Were they forged by Azadas, or manufactured by Mimiron?"
Millificent Manastorm, who was beside him, immediately jumped up and shrieked when she heard the term: "No, the Titan artifacts are mine! The Dark Iron Dwarves absolutely cannot take them!"
"Neither of those."
Hona Stonefall was a bit embarrassed: "I overheard their conversation at the entrance. All of this was an accident; they were attracted by us—."
Everyone was stunned, their old faces turning red.
"What do you mean?" King Magni asked.
Hona Stonefall scratched her head and said sheepishly: "Uldaman's gate is made of obsidian, very large and thick, and there are no mechanisms. We couldn't open it no matter what, so we had to use explosives. The sound of the explosion might have been too loud, attracting the Dark Iron Dwarves from dozens of kilometers away."
King Magni was dumbfounded: "They could hear it from dozens of kilometers away? How many explosives did you use?"
Hona Stonefall's voice grew softer and softer: "Actually, it wasn't that much—mainly, that gate was really too hard. Small amounts wouldn't blow it open."
"Forget it, that's not the point.
King Magni waved his hand: "You weren't discovered when you escaped, were you?"
Hona Stonefall immediately puffed out her chest and patted it: "Of course not!"
"Your Majesty, you must believe in my skill. When SI:7 held a stealth competition, I hid for a full seven days and wasn't found. In the end, I only came out because I was too thirsty!"
"I was first, that guy Mathias Shaw was second, and Edwin VanCleef was third!"
Magni was speechless; this clearly sounded like bragging.
He knew that young Mathias; he was being groomed to be the next King of Spies. He heard that at a young age, he had already earned the titles of "Stealth Master" and "Assassin Master." How could you, a high-ranking rogue, compare to him?
But what surprised him was:
Wasn't Edwin VanCleef the head of the Stormwind Stonemasons' Guild?
He heard that he was primarily responsible for the reconstruction of Stormwind City, and even the Watcher's Keep, which was currently being planned, was designated to be built by his guild. He never expected him to have a background with SI:7?
From what Hona said, his stealth skills were second only to Mathias Shaw?
It seemed this person was also not simple!
"Also, they only know there are Bronzebeard Dwarves inside Uldaman; they don't know we are from the Explorer's League, and even less that Prince Brann is inside!" Hona Stonefall rambled on for a long time before finally getting to the point.
"It's good that their true identities weren't discovered."
"In that case, the Dark Iron Dwarves likely won't send a large-scale reinforcement for this matter. Even if they send support later, the number probably won't be too many."
King Magni clasped his hands together and said in a deep voice: "Bronzebeard Dwarves and Uldaman must not fall into the hands of the Dark Iron Dwarves! I will personally lead troops and go to Uldaman now!"
"I'll come along too. It's been over a thousand years since we left. The Gnomes haven't returned to see it. Now is the time." High Tinker Mekkatorque said.
"And us!" Millhouse and Millificent said in unison.
"Uh—."
Magni originally wanted to say, "We're going to rescue people, don't let you two kill them off," "Uldaman is the common origin of dwarves and Gnomes, don't destroy our cradle," "Please, just behave yourselves."
But then he thought that if he left these two in Ironforge, Ironforge and tens of thousands of dwarves might suffer, so he immediately changed his mind.
"Kael'thas, what about you? Do you want to come along?" Magni extended an invitation.
The team still needed a mage. In critical moments, they could teleport away, provide safety for everyone, and if trapped, they could even conjure some food and drink.
What, Millhouse?
He was out of the question. Who knew where he would teleport to—ten thousand meters in the sky or deep in the earth's core, the Shadowlands or the Twisting Nether?
"Your Highness—" Vereesa was eager to try, casting hopeful glances.
This young girl was now interested in all new things, indeed showing a tendency to develop like Millhouse and Brann.
Kael'thas shrugged: "I'm just idling anyway. We'll go take a look too. I've never seen Titan architecture before, it'll be a good learning experience."
One day, he would go to Ulduar, Mogu'shan, and the Halls of Valor to confront the Titan Guardians directly.
The one in Uldaman seemed much easier to deal with; it wouldn't be bad to practice on him first.
Magni, eager to rescue his brother, immediately took five hundred elites and traveled day and night, a mighty host, reaching northern Loch Modan in just two days.
"It's right there!"
Hona Stonefall pointed nearby and shouted.
Everyone quickly looked over and saw a cave entrance illuminated by lights at the foot of the mountains. There were Dark Iron Dwarves both inside and outside, totaling about a hundred people.
They had set up tents at the entrance, and some were building houses, constructing a camp, clearly intending a long-term stationed.
This wasn't the main point.
The real point was:
On the rock wall next to the cave entrance were large areas of freshly shattered marks, and the rock surface was blackened by gunpowder.
Even from a great distance, the pungent smell of gunpowder in the air was still noticeable.
Large chunks of blasted rock were scattered everywhere on the ground, piled together, their volume roughly estimated to fill almost half of Ironforge.
A significant area of the side mountain wall was clearly blown down, at least several hundred square meters in size.
Everyone turned their heads in unison, their gazes converging on Hona Stonefall.
Although no one spoke, the meaning in their eyes was clearly expressed:
No wonder the explosion could attract Dark Iron Dwarves from dozens of kilometers away!
You guys probably used no less than several thousand kilograms of explosives!
This wasn't opening a door; it was demolishing a mountain!
Hona Stonefall shrank her neck and softly defended herself:
"This—this can't all be blamed on us—that big gate was hidden deep inside the passage, dozens of meters from the outside exit—and that door, I don't know what material it was made of, it was much harder than the surrounding mountain rock. A small amount of explosives simply wouldn't blow it open."
"Also, the idea of using explosives was proposed by Prince Brann! I actually opposed it at the time!"
Everyone was silent, and believed her.
Given Hona Stonefall's personality, although sometimes a bit flighty and prone to trouble, compared to Prince Brynn Bronzebeard's "catastrophic" troublemaking ability, she could almost be considered as gentle, cautious, and beloved as a priest of the Church of the Holy Light—
"The Dark Iron dwarf camp is not a hundred-man scale; it's at least five hundred."
"At least three or four hundred are inside Uldaman. We can't alert them."
Magni frowned: "We must get as close as possible, then strike suddenly, eliminating all Dark Iron Dwarves in the camp and the entrance passage."
Hona Stonefall quickly nodded: "Yes, yes, yes. The internal structure of Uldaman is extremely complex, with many passages and many doors. If we alert the Dark Iron Dwarves inside and they close all those doors, it will be troublesome!"
Uldaman, who knows where all that obsidian came from; all the doors are made of this material, very hard, and magic-immune, impossible to break through.
And there were terrifying Obsidian Sentinels. Hona Stonefall's face showed fear, and she couldn't help but shiver.
Millhouse quickly volunteered: "I'll go! I can't teleport, the movement is too great. I'll go invisible, and one Arcane Explosion can take out all the Dark Iron Dwarves in the passage!"
Millificent looked at her husband strangely, thinking, *Are you sure?*
A few years ago, when we went to Elwynn Forest to capture the Gnoll chieftain Hogger for structural research, you said one Arcane Explosion could take out a dozen Gnolls, but not a single one died.
It caused us to be chased by hundreds of Gnolls for three days and three nights, we didn't even have time to teleport.
If we hadn't happened to run into the Stormwind Knights, we would be in the Shadowlands by now!
"No, you can't."
Magni stared at the Dark Iron Dwarves: "Their armor is made of Blackrock, unique to Blackrock Mountain, of fine quality, with strong magic resistance, and fully enchanted. An Archmage's Arcane Explosion won't be powerful enough."
He looked at Kael'thas.
"Alright, I'll do it." Kael'thas readily agreed.
Hona Stonefall said: "I'll go too. I'll stealth in first and sap a few, cutting off their communication with each other—"
"Your Majesty, don't look at me like that. I might be a bit playful sometimes, but I'm very reliable in critical moments. I was the one who came back to report!"
She looked wronged.
Magni watched her for a while, then chose to believe her.
After all, Bronzebeard Dwarves weren't known for producing rogues; they were far behind the Dark Iron Dwarves in this aspect.
Even though Hona Stonefall was barely high-ranking, she was already Ironforge's top rogue; there was no better choice.
"That's it then, move out!"